"Batman: Fortunate Son" by Gerard Jones and Gene Ha

As far as I'm concerned, any Batman comic that also features Robin has a mark against it.  Is there any "superhero" sillier than Robin?  Forget the innuendo, the very idea of Robin is so in-your-face, straight-out-of-the-closet GAY that no further debate is required.  He runs around in a pair of green BRIEFS for God's sake.  OF COURSE Batman, by mere association with him, is a pedophile.

So from the start, I knew I wasn't going to like this one.  To make matters worse, the writer of this comic book makes Batman into some kind of prude who doesn't even allow Robin to listen to rock music.  I guess Robin was getting tired of hearing Batman's well-worn Judy Garland recordings.  Maybe he was also tired of all the Yanni.  And the COCK.

"Fortunate Son" tries very hard to make a point about the role of rock music in our culture, but doesn't quite succeed.  It doesn't succeed because the Batman and Robin featured in "Fortunate Son" are downright ridiculous.  Robin is just a whiny sex toy that can't kick anyone's ass, and Batman is a stuck-up prude who spends all of his time in the daylight, looking less than scary.

This comic book sucks.  Just like Robin.  Every day.  On command.

It's not that I have a problem with gay comic book characters.  I think that a storyline involving Batman coming out of the closet could be riveting.  My complaint about Robin is that he is a cheap attempt to make Batman "human" or "vulnerable."

I can understand the need for Robin back in the Golden Age, when every hero needed a sidekick to act as every kid's stand-in, but the need for this sidekick has long since passed away.  Kids (and let's face it, an increasing number of adults) don't need a sidekick to relate to Batman.  If he is too dark, then there are any number of other human relationships that could be used to tone him down.  How about a girlfriend?  A wife?  Or even the Joker?

Back in the 90s they made an attempt to kill off Robin.  I wish he had stayed dead.  It is unfortunate that DC is unable to stick by any character even after they have revamped it.  This is just as true for Superman, The Flash, or Wonder Woman as it is for Robin.  You think maybe they have finally changed a character for good, but then the sales figures aren't favorable and they bring back the same retarded characters, just because they have that brand recognition that gives the people at DC confidence.

I hope that one day DC realizes the pointlessness of Robin.  Maybe then we can see Batman comics better than "Fortunate Son."